Tweet
Cloth diapers for adults are expensive, but those of us who love them can't be without. The fit and feel can be hard to get just right, requiring many brands and sizes to be sampled, and that can get expensive. Personally, I prefer Purity flat diapers as they are very comfortable and remind me of the Curity of my youth.
Here is a suggestion that's slightly less expensive than the common brands of adult cloth diapers:
Buy some bath blankets. These can often be found at thrift stores in ones and twos, but can be had new in case quantities for surprisingly little money when compared with adult cloth diapers.
For those unfamiliar, a bath blanket is a large (90"x70") cotton or cotton/poly sheet, often sold by the pound as they are available in several weights. It is typically used in the medical care industry as a light blanket (as in an emergency room), to aid in the bathing of an immobile individual, or in the place of a towel after bathing the elderly.
In many ways, they resemble a traditional flat cloth diaper, just that they are adult sized. They are larger, thicker, and more absorbent than a baby's flat diaper. I have discovered a way to fold them quickly and easily into a 4x6x4 diaper that can be easily adjusted to accommodate any size.
To fold, grasp corners of the short edge, and shake out. Hook the edge under you chin at about the middle, so you are grasping the edge at three points. Bring the corners together. Let each hand grasp the corner of the cloth previously held by the other. Do not let the hemmed edge out of your grasp, but rather hook it loosely with a finger on each hand. As you pull your hands apart, allow the hemmed edge to slide through your fingers. How far you pull allows you to adjust the width of the soaker panel and the finished diaper at the same time.
Hold your arms up and away to bring the edge taught and even. Allow the cloth to slide under your chin until you have found the center. Pin the cloth to your chest with your chin. Bring both hands to your chin, and grasp the cloth with a third finger. Each hand should now hold three layers of cloth. Bring your hands apart the width of the soaker, allowing the loop to slide evenly, centering the soaker in the diaper.
Grasp all layers firmly, and shake out the diaper. It is easier to do this over a horizontal stairwell railing, but it can be done on a a flat clean floor simply by raising your arms. Do not worry about the end that gathers on the floor at this time. The shake technique is special. Jerk one hand up, then the other with a flick of the wrist and repeat. The effect should be that the overlapping fold propagates down the length of the diaper evenly. Do not worry about the edges at this time.
You should now have made the initial flat sheet into a tube, with an overlap that will become the soaker. If you are at a rail on the second floor, it is a simple matter to draw the tube completely over the rail towards you, measure approximately half way, and fling the edge you are holding over the rail away from you. Slide along the rail until even, grasp the diaper at the edges of the soaker, and you are done.
If you are in your bedroom or do not have access to a rail, shake the diaper out over a bed. Pull it towards you, and lay the end you are grasping down to fold the length of the diaper onto itself. This method may require some slight smoothing and adjusting.
The result is a flattened tube whose ends overlap (creating the soaker) folded in half for a finished appearance. All exposed edges are at at the rear of the diaper. To wear, fold the long edges inwards to the soaker as you would any other prefold. I recommend making the diaper slightly smaller than necessary at first, maximizing the width of the soaker. Then, when pinning, pull each side of the outer layer out slightly to obtain a custom fit.
Be sure to use four pins, two on each side. The bottom pins hold the weight, and the upper pins provide the coverage. Additional soaker materiel can easily be placed inside the last fold. I find that one of these with a few infant prefolds can last all day. Two folded together will meet all but the heaviest of overnight needs, even for a side sleeper. As it is a large single sheet, almost anything can be used as a soaker.
Be sure to use high-waist plastic pants, as these diapers are long. You can fold one end inwards if you are short or skinny. Put the extra fold in the front for males, and at the back for females.
Let me know if this technique worked for you, or if you need additional help. I might even be prompted into making a video.
Here is a suggestion that's slightly less expensive than the common brands of adult cloth diapers:
Buy some bath blankets. These can often be found at thrift stores in ones and twos, but can be had new in case quantities for surprisingly little money when compared with adult cloth diapers.
For those unfamiliar, a bath blanket is a large (90"x70") cotton or cotton/poly sheet, often sold by the pound as they are available in several weights. It is typically used in the medical care industry as a light blanket (as in an emergency room), to aid in the bathing of an immobile individual, or in the place of a towel after bathing the elderly.
In many ways, they resemble a traditional flat cloth diaper, just that they are adult sized. They are larger, thicker, and more absorbent than a baby's flat diaper. I have discovered a way to fold them quickly and easily into a 4x6x4 diaper that can be easily adjusted to accommodate any size.
To fold, grasp corners of the short edge, and shake out. Hook the edge under you chin at about the middle, so you are grasping the edge at three points. Bring the corners together. Let each hand grasp the corner of the cloth previously held by the other. Do not let the hemmed edge out of your grasp, but rather hook it loosely with a finger on each hand. As you pull your hands apart, allow the hemmed edge to slide through your fingers. How far you pull allows you to adjust the width of the soaker panel and the finished diaper at the same time.
Hold your arms up and away to bring the edge taught and even. Allow the cloth to slide under your chin until you have found the center. Pin the cloth to your chest with your chin. Bring both hands to your chin, and grasp the cloth with a third finger. Each hand should now hold three layers of cloth. Bring your hands apart the width of the soaker, allowing the loop to slide evenly, centering the soaker in the diaper.
Grasp all layers firmly, and shake out the diaper. It is easier to do this over a horizontal stairwell railing, but it can be done on a a flat clean floor simply by raising your arms. Do not worry about the end that gathers on the floor at this time. The shake technique is special. Jerk one hand up, then the other with a flick of the wrist and repeat. The effect should be that the overlapping fold propagates down the length of the diaper evenly. Do not worry about the edges at this time.
You should now have made the initial flat sheet into a tube, with an overlap that will become the soaker. If you are at a rail on the second floor, it is a simple matter to draw the tube completely over the rail towards you, measure approximately half way, and fling the edge you are holding over the rail away from you. Slide along the rail until even, grasp the diaper at the edges of the soaker, and you are done.
If you are in your bedroom or do not have access to a rail, shake the diaper out over a bed. Pull it towards you, and lay the end you are grasping down to fold the length of the diaper onto itself. This method may require some slight smoothing and adjusting.
The result is a flattened tube whose ends overlap (creating the soaker) folded in half for a finished appearance. All exposed edges are at at the rear of the diaper. To wear, fold the long edges inwards to the soaker as you would any other prefold. I recommend making the diaper slightly smaller than necessary at first, maximizing the width of the soaker. Then, when pinning, pull each side of the outer layer out slightly to obtain a custom fit.
Be sure to use four pins, two on each side. The bottom pins hold the weight, and the upper pins provide the coverage. Additional soaker materiel can easily be placed inside the last fold. I find that one of these with a few infant prefolds can last all day. Two folded together will meet all but the heaviest of overnight needs, even for a side sleeper. As it is a large single sheet, almost anything can be used as a soaker.
Be sure to use high-waist plastic pants, as these diapers are long. You can fold one end inwards if you are short or skinny. Put the extra fold in the front for males, and at the back for females.
Let me know if this technique worked for you, or if you need additional help. I might even be prompted into making a video.
steal from hotels)
Comment